Norges anp NEws 19 
Oar Loans or Ferns 
Over 50 car loads of ferns have been sent this season from gaat 
ton County to refrigerator headquarters in Pittsfield, Mass 
car loads are sent from Bennington village each day 
An article by F. E. Robertson in The Vermonter for 
October gives some additional information regarding 
the fern picking industry. He says: ‘‘in the towns of 
Woodford, Searsburg, Stamford and Readsboro over 
50,000,000 ferns’ (doubtless meaning fronds) ‘are 
gathered annually. These have a local value of some- 
thing over $20,000. These ferns are picked when in 
prime and tied in bundles of 100 each. The picker is 
paid about four cents per bundle—a good picker will 
gather from 10,000 to 12,000 ferns daily.” 
A correspondent in another part of Vermont, refer- 
ring to Dryopteris Goldiana, says, “I recently shipped 
1700 plants to a firm in N. J.” and in another part of 
the same letter, “I am not a collector of plants for sale, 
but have yielded to the request of florists and removed 
about 3000” (D. Goldiana plants) “from this location 
taking care that plenty were left to develop.” 
This sudden activity in the market for wild ferns is 
not apparently related in any way to the European 
war and seems likely to have a continuing development. 
Judging by the fate of certain wild flowers this develop- 
ment will probably be attended with a certain amount 
of destruction and extermination. 
The transplanting of wild ferns for cultivation in 
well kept gardens is a commendable practice, and the 
demand for live plants must be strictly limited as they 
are perennial. The collection of fronds of the ever- 
green wood ferns may not seriously injure the plants, 
if it is done in the later part of summer, and if a proper 
method is used for separating the fronds from the crown. 
If some Vermont reader who is in position to observe 
will report to the JourNAL the methods and conditions 
under which this industry is carried on and any ap- 
